The 1993 Super Mario Bros. film isn’t exactly revered as top-tier filmmaking. Despite casting Bob Hoskins as Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi, Samantha Mathis as Princess Daisy, and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa, the live-action film was as chaotic as one would expect from anything out of the early ’90s. It took the video game concept and smashed it up into a burger patty, hoping fans would simply understand all the references in this dystopian version of Super Mario.
Unsurprisingly, the film lost its way due to all the numerous changes it underwent during production. From rewrites to cutting out of entire scenes because of being over budget, it’s another glorious example of why the Hollywood system sometimes sucks and destroys creativity. Yet, here’s the kicker: one of the original screenwriters, Parker Bennett, still had an idea for a sequel in his back pocket. Bennett, though, was realistic in knowing it would never happen. However, that didn’t stop a few fans from bringing his idea to life.
How Super Mario Bros. 2 Came Together
The 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie might not have made a lot of money or received critical acclaim, but it did achieve a significant cult following, including a few websites dedicated to the film. Steven Applebaum and Ryan Hoss were two huge supporters who ran their own fan site and managed to score an interview with Bennett, who explained his initial idea of how a sequel might have looked to them.
Curious about what could have been, and knowing a film was out of the question, Applebaum and Hoss considered a web comic. So, they prodded Bennett for more information. “We did heavily discuss the world of the film, from its backstory to the character’s motivations,” Applebaum told Empire. “Parker also provided a general direction for what he would have wanted to happen to these characters and what consequences from the first film would become major themes of the sequel. At that point he sort of ‘passed the torch’ to us.”
Applebaum and Hoss got to work on what would become Super Mario Bros. 2. Eryk Donovan provided art and colours, while Brett Michael Cook also served as colourist, and Jaymes Reed worked as a letterer. The 2013 story was divided into four issues and released for free online.
What Is Super Mario Bros. 2 About?
Look, the sequel doesn’t exactly fix everything that people may have disliked about the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. It still takes place in a Blade Runner-esque dystopian universe, and it doesn’t make this version of Super Mario anything like the video games. That said, it is a far more cohesive follow-up to the live-action film.
In this story, Daisy seeks out Mario and Luigi once more, bringing them back to Dinohattan as there’s a new threat on the horizon: Wart. Yes, the character from the Super Mario Bros. 2 video game. Additionally, familiar faces from the first movie, such as Toad and Yoshi, reappear.
Would The 1993 Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequel Have Changed Anything?
Released 20 years after the first film, Super Mario Bros. 2 is a chunky slice of nostalgia. It tickles the right memories and may even make the harshest detractors wonder what could have been. That being said, the initial idea for the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie was detached from what fans wanted in the first place, so nothing could ever put that ship on the right course. It’s a lot like drinking Pepsi Max – it might quench the thirst for a brief moment, but everyone knows it isn’t the real Pepsi.
On April 1, 2026, Mario and Luigi are returning to the silver screen for the upcoming The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the sequel to 2023’s blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
